Travelling with Wimdu: A Fitou adventure

When you get an e-mail that asks you if you want to try out a peer to peer accommodation service, with no restrictions on destination, I would suspect that nine out of ten cats would meow a resounding yes.

In my case, the yes was very quickly followed by some excitable globe spinning, a review of my 2012 wish list, and the happy realisation that the world is a fabulously big place with plenty of exploration ahead.

This was then followed by the thought that what Vera and I really wanted for a short break was somewhere hot, not far from the beach, and within driving distance of our current French base. Ideally this would be an uncrowded affair, which is a bit of a stretch for a European summer, but hey. A boy can dream.

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Travel blogging tips from the experts: Four Jandals

Before I went to Australia, I had the distinct impression I knew what a thong was. And it was certainly not something you expected to get free with the purchase of a t-shirt. Not as a bloke anyway. After my year of Australian shenanigans though, I was comfortable with the thought of a thong being something you slung around your foot rather than a piece of floss for your nether regions.

Imagine my surprise therefore when I went over the pond from Australia to New Zealand, to learn that the Kiwis have a whole other word for foot apparel besides thong, that being the Jandal. Which circuitously allows me to introduce today’s jandal flaunting interview subjects, Cole and Adela of Four Jandals.

Hailing, you’ve guessed it, from New Zealand, Cole and Adela are big into adventure travel. Doing insane things in the name of fun is, after all, what Kiwis do. Today they’re sharing their travel blogging story, and tips for success. Enjoy! 

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Top tips for surviving a European city in summer

Europe. It’s jam packed with incredible places to visit, and the cities are no exception to this rule. From the gondola clad waterways of Venice, to the Gaudi wackiness in Barcelona, to the romance that is Paris – there is truly something for everyone.

The problem with this mass appeal is that the masses are appealed. And in the height of the summer months, these cities can become, quite frankly, a bit of a nightmare to visit. Crowded attractions, price hikes, long queues and oppressive heat (unless you’ve visiting the UK, in which case that is less likely to be a problem) – the trip of a lifetime can very quickly become the trip from hell. So what to do?

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A day trip from Barcelona: Girona and Figueres

When I was in Barcelona I was offered the opportunity by the nice folk at Barcelona Tourism and the Catalunya Bus Turistique to take a day trip. A whole variety of destinations were on offer, but I chose the tour that went to the pretty looking towns of Girona and Figueras.

I mostly chose this tour because Figueras was the home of Dali, and is where the museum that he put together to house his works can be found. The museum also happens to be where he’s buried. Being a fan of Dali, I was keen to see what a museum created by him might look like.

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In photos: the 2012 Occitan Piégut Félibrée!

The title of this post is possibly a little boggling if you’re not familiar with some vaguely old French history, which I wasn’t until I did a bit of reading up around the subject. Here’s what I learnt. (Warning – history ahead. Feel free to skip to the photos section if you’re not into it. I won’t tell anyone!)

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Travel blogging tips from the experts–The Jungle Princess

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking what could be better than an interview with Kelly Rowland? And I’ll tell you. An interview with someone who has hit up the glamorous red carpet with Kelly Rowland!

Today’s travel blogging tips subject lives a slightly more glam filled life than many of my other intervieews (sorry guys). She splits her time between adventuring and exploring the world, and taking on the neon jungle that is Las Vegas, where she’s editor in chief of Vegas Magazine.

I am of course talking about Abby Tegnelia, known to her readers as The Jungle Princess.

I was lucky enough to be able to prise Abby away from her hecktic schedule to answer a few questions about travel blogging. Here we go!

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Capture the Colour Photo Contest

I was recently tagged to take part in a photography competition by one of my favourite photographers out there – Dave Bouskill of The Planet D. Sometimes competitions such as these can be a thinly disguised popularity contest, but it turns out that this is a real competition, with actual judges and real prizes! No sign of a Facebook-like frenzy in sight! So thanks for the tag Dave – much appreciated.

All five of the judges are awesome photographers, plus the competition has some amazing prizes for the contestants, including iPads and actual cash. Yes… actual cash! And you all know how much I like cash.

So obviously I’m entering, which is what this post is all about. And, unless you’re judging, you don’t even need to do anything. Just enjoy some of my favourite pictures from my various travels. (Well, ok, you’re welcome to bribe the judges on my behalf. But that’s it.)

The competition is called Capture the Colour, with the theme, as you have probably figured out, involving colour. (Update – the contest is now closed.) Enough of the chat. Let’s get on with the five colours, starting with:

White

White means all sorts of things to me, from lovely fresh snow through to a collection of clouds. Mount Taranaki in New Zealand, the centre piece of this particular shot, is no stranger to either. He’s a beast of a mountain, rising 2.6 vertical kilometres out of the surrounding flat land, and providing one of New Zealand’s most challenging day hikes. If you’re on the North Island for any period of time, you need to visit this mountain. You will not be disappointed!

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A wee problem (or A guide to finding public toilets)

Dear fellow travellers! It's me again, Vera, and today I am going to talk to you about finding public toilets.

A task that is somewhat essential to a smooth travel experience, yet hardly addressed – until now. 

There is of course a chance of the odd TMI happening, so brace yourselves! However, we have to be courageous here, because not finding a public toilet when you need one can seriously cast a dark shadow over your otherwise delightful travels. Or over your pants. Right.

Luckily Loz already did a post about scenic toilets, and possesses a multitude of loo-pictures, hence you are not going to lack the eye candy (I heard that sigh of relief!).

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